Service held in Chervona Dibrova in a church replacing the seized one

Temple feast in the village of Cherovnya Dibrova. Photo: Fr. Nikolai Shtirbu

On October 27, 2025, in the Bukovynian village of Chervona Dibrova, the UOC parish of St. Paraskeva of Serbia celebrated its patronal feast with the first Divine Liturgy in the church that is being built to replace the one seized by the OCU.

Construction is still in its early stages – only part of the walls has been erected – but the faithful have already begun holding services in their new sanctuary. In August 2025, the parishioners suffered a tragic and irreparable loss: their beloved rector and pastor, Fr. Heorhiy Lukovsky, who had served the community for 35 years, passed away. Parishioners recall that when in 2019 the notorious OCU raider R. Hryshchuk suggested that Fr. Heorhiy join his structure, he replied briefly and firmly: “I do not trade my faith for bread.”

Recall that the community in Chervona Dibrova suffered from church raiding in 2019, when state registrar Mykola Herhelyuk, who was simultaneously a cleric of the OCU, illegally re-registered the parish in favor of the OCU. In April 2021, the community began building a new church.

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